The Ninth annual Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony will be held from December 2nd to 12th 2013. The entire Sangha will be chanting Catukkanipātapāḷi , Pañcakanipātapāḷi, Chakkanipātapāḷi, Sattakanipātapāḷi from the Anguttara Nikaya. Romanised copies will be made available for all participants.

PATNA: Thousands of Buddhist monks and their followers are expected to gather in Bodh Gaya between December 2 and December 12 for ninth international 'Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony'. Senior monks and their followers from countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam will attend it.

The event will begin with a colourful opening ceremony in a specially-erected 10,000-sq ft tent before a procession starts for the main temple with participants in national costumes. The guest of honour at the event will be the Speaker of Bihar legislative assembly, Uday Narayan Chaudhary, who will address the opening ceremony, said the main organizer, Wangmo Dixey, chief executive of the Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International (LIBFI).

The Tipitaka, or Pali canon, is the collection of primary Pali language texts which form the doctrinal foundation of Theravada Buddhism. The Tipitaka constitutes the complete classical Theravada texts.

The LIBFI will offer gifts to senior monks present under the Bodhi Tree. The 'Tipitikadharas' of Myanmar, and seniormost monks from India, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Laos will be present. The personal representatives of the 'Sangharajas' of Thailand and Sri Lanka will also be present at the assembly, Dixey said in an e-mail statement.

After the opening day, the gathering will chant from the Pali canon, reciting the teachings of Buddha in a traditional manner. There will be 'Dharma talks' every evening, to be delivered by senior teachers from Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, followed by nightlong meditation in the temple compound.

Four Tipitikadharas from Myanmar - monks who can recite all the teachings of Buddha from memory - will also grace the gathering. Dishes from Thailand, Myanmar and India will be served to all the participants, said an organizer.

Commenting on the importance of the event, U Nyaninda, president of the International Tipitaka Chanting Council, in a statement, said: "This gathering of the international sangha at the place of enlightenment is of great importance in the background of July 7, 2013, blasts at Bodh Gaya. It is a matter of great rejoicing to see so many senior monks offering prayers at the place of enlightenment for world peace and benefit of all."

"The International Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony has a unique place in the Buddhist calendar and sends an important message to the world at large. We dedicate it to world peace and Inner Harmony, and to this great Motherland of India," he said.